atLEAF News

Article
Senescence Networking: WRKY18 is an Upstream Regulator,
a Downstream Target Gene, and a Protein Interaction Partner of WRKY53

3/11/2014 10:54:11 AM

Journal of Plant Growth Regulation (Impact Factor: 1.99). DOI:10.1007/s00344-013-9380-2
Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013
M. Potschin, S. Schlienger, S. Bieker, U. Zentgraf .
Transcriptional reprogramming is a central feature of senescence regulation, implying an essential role
for transcription factors. A regulatory function has already been attributed to different members of the
plant-specific NAC and WRKY families in Arabidopsis but also in other plant species. WRKY53 is one
important senescence regulator of the Arabidopsis WRKY family that is tightly regulated on different levels.
In this study we show that WRKY18, which was formerly characterized as a downstream target of WRKY53 in the
WRKY network, also regulates the expression of WRKY53. WRKY18 is able to bind directly to different W-boxes
in the WRKY53 promoter region and to repress expression of a WRKY53 promoter-driven reporter gene in a
transient transformation system using Arabidopsis protoplasts. Consistent with its repressing function on
WRKY53 as a positive senescence regulator, WRKY18 overexpression led to delayed senescence, whereas wrky18
mutant plants exhibited a clearly accelerated senescence. In addition, a direct interaction between WRKY53
and WRKY18 proteins could be detected in yeast using the split ubiquitin system and in planta in transiently
transformed tobacco epidermal cells via FRET-FLIM. In contrast to WRKY18/18 homodimers, WRKY18/53
heterodimers positively influenced WRKY53 promoter-driven reporter gene expression but appear to act only
on a shorter 1.1 kbp promoter fragment but not on a 2.8 kbp longer fragment, indicating a more complex
protein-protein-DNA interaction on the longer WRKY53 promoter,
most likely also triggered by the accessibility of the promoter on the chromatin level.
Senescence Phenotiping. Chlorophyll content was estimated using an atLeaf+ cholorophyll meter.
Each leaf was measured in triplicate and values were averaged.